Hey guys. I hear you on the procedure, I'll start assuming that. Works crazy atm, but I'll do my best to get something up tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.
I'm traveling again on business for the week, so my posting will be random and non-combat. Please bot me as necessary.
cheers
Work is going to be super busy this week guys, so plan on me not being able to post until later this week if at all. Sorry for the delay.
Hey guys. I'm sorry to say but things have finally gotten to the point where I don't think I can continue this game anymore. Work is crazy since we're trying to design several new systems for our show in 2020, and I'm also getting married soon. I just don't really have the time to post even on the incredibly slow schedule we have been doing. I apologize for not being able to finish this out with you. I hope you all managed to enjoy yourselves. If you want I'll post out a generic outline of the way the adventure would wrap up.
You were all great players and I super appreciate you playing with me! Good luck in all your future endeavors!
If you ever get around to posting the outline, it'd be great, but don't worry about it. It's totally understandable. Congratulations on the pending marriage!
Thanks. Would love to read the story
Yeah, I can certainly understand that. Thank you for running this game for so long, and I'd also be interested in seeing the conclusion of the adventure.
Ok, so there's a TON of possible ways that this could have gone, so I'm only going to write up what I think are the things you guys most likely would have done.
You manage to rescue a severely damaged and traumatized Ves (CYBORG WIZARD!), escaping from the pitch black nightmare that is Crowhollow by the skin of your teeth. You flee east across the Numeria/Brevoy border, with an enraged Hellion in hot pursuit. As soon as you feel you safely can, you use your scrolls of teleport to travel back to Lord Vezivo's territory.
Once there, you report to Vicarius Torchia, who commends you on your successful mission and promotes you all. As usual of course, with that promotion comes more work. He informs you that Lady Nought (who you suddenly realize you haven't heard from in some time) has hired the Order of the Gate to remove Hellion, in exchange for future services once she controls the Technic League. To that end, he had Imazi (the varisian seer who most of you met on your first mission) capture Zakat, an extremely potent stormborn sorcerer that would be devastatingly effective against the constructs that Hellion prefers. Imazi struggles to train him and reign in his wild nature.
(As you recall, while she's doing that, you were on your fateful trip to Druma to convince the Kalistocrats to let you keep Zakat.)
Now, your job is to return Vespartius to Citadel Enferac, so that the signifers there can hopefully devise a countermeasure to the modifications that Hellion seems to imbue in his slaves.
Before you can return though, Lord Vezivo manages to restore Vespartius's memories, and Ves hurriedly relays to you that Hellion has almost completed construction of a portal to the Machine Armory, a demiplane filled with thousands upon thousands of machines that Hellion could use as his army.
You inform the Vicarius of this new information, and he orders you to find and destroy that portal by any means necessary. Vespartius says he thinks he knows where it is, and after loading up on as much destructive gear and magic as Lord Vezivo can give you, you all once again travel back to Numeria (you're really starting to hate that place).
You re-enter Crowhollow, though this time any pretense of subtlety is gone, and you tear through the dungeon like a wrecking ball. Unfortunately, you get to the room where the portal is, and see that it's already active, and there's no sign of Hellion. Torn, you eventually decide to follow in, as there is no guarantee that destroying the portal on this end would prevent Hellion from constructing another one. Vespartius uses the portal to amplify his magic and manages to get a message sent off to the Vicarius requesting reinforcements before you enter the portal.
Inside, you note with relief that it doesn't seem like Hellion has succeeded yet, as the rows upon rows of machines still stand silently in their ranks. With no leads on where to go, you decide to head towards the tower in the distance. As you get closer, you start seeing flitting clouds of dust your peripheral, and hearing a muted, buzzing whisper. Vespartius seems to be able to understand it more clearly than anyone else, and after some deliberation you decide to communicate with it. It calls itself Iteration 384 and requests your aid in fighting off Hellion. It has managed to keep Hellion from gaining control of the machines by shutting off certain structures, but in the same vein it cannot control the machines itself either. It instructs you on how to physically block off Hellions access, so that it can work on restarting the shut down structures and gaining control of the machines.
So you run around, avoiding Hellion and breaking things. Depending on how long you take and how successful you are, different things could happen (depends more on dice than your choices, so I'll list them).
1) Hellion spots you and you have to fight him. However, if you distract it long enough, this takes Hellions attention away from Iteration 384, who manages to gain control of the machines and helps you fight Hellion.
2) You manage to break enough access points that Hellion cannot take control of the machines. Iteration 384 takes control of the machines and fights Hellion.
3) You manage to stay one step ahead of Hellion, but just barely. Fortunately, Imazi, Zakat, and a squad of Hellknights (the infamous Dread Wing), arrive and help you fight Hellion.
4) Hellion manages to gain access to a point that you haven't been able to break. It succeeds in gaining control of the machines.
4a) You manage to escape and destroy the portal behind you. Now you have to prepare for a possible invasion.
4b) You manage to stay alive inside the Machine Armory long enough that Imazi, Zakat, and a squad of Hellknights arrive to help you fight Hellion. But with this many different hosts to choose from, Hellion is extremely difficult to pin down, and killing it is almost impossible. You retreat, though Zakat is having the time of his life and refuses to go with you. You destroy the portal behind you, hoping that Zakat is powerful enough to take down Hellion, or at least stall it until you can get an army there.
(Of course you could all die at any time, but I'm only including the positive outcomes here)
After the battle, you return to Citadel Enferac to significant acclaim, receiving promotions and some well deserved rest. After a few weeks, you are called into a meeting at Citadel Demain. There you meet the heads of all the major Hellknight orders, as well as finally meeting Lady Nought in the flesh (where she is slightly less intimidating). She has finally taken control of the Technic League, and with your help has eliminated all major opponents to her in Numeria. As part of her agreement, she agrees to allow a Hellknight citadel and order to be constructed in Numeria, and Vicarius Torchia has motioned you all to be head of this new citadel. The rest of the orders agree, and you receive the funding and Hellknights necessary to begin construction.
An enormous enemy of order and lawfulness has been slain, but your work is far from over.